Selena Gomez is a prime example of how childhood crushes can take an unexpected turn.
The actress revealed during a Dec. 6 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that despite being romantically interested in actor Cole Sprouse growing up, she was tasked with kissing his twin brother Dylan Sprouse. The topic arose after Jimmy Fallon brought up a scene that happened in Gomez’s newly released documentary My Mind & Me.
The particular moment Fallon mentioned occurred when the 30-year-old went to her hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas, and visited her old home, which had a mirror where she wrote Cole Sprouse’s name with hearts surrounding it.
When asked if she had a crush on Cole, Gomez responded while laughing,
“Yes I did, and my first kiss was his brother [Dylan].”
Immediately following that statement, Gomez would clarify the reason she had to kiss Dylan was that she played his love interest in Disney’s The Suite Life with Zack and Cody, in which both brothers starred.
“On TV… They wrote it on the script that way. It was on the show, yes.”
Gomez was about 12 or 13 when she played Gwen on the hit Disney series. Towards the end of the conversation, Fallon questioned Gomez how she felt about the experience and if she preferred to have kissed Cole instead of Dylan. She said,
“I can’t say that. That wasn’t what it was. I think I felt much better that it wasn’t him because I think probably would’ve been an idiot… He was the love of my life. He was.
This isn’t the first time Gomez opened up about her crush on Cole Sprouse. In 2019, while visiting her middle school, the actress shared on her Instagram page that she had a crush on a boy named Juan and Cole. Gomez uploaded a video that showcased a past comment she wrote, including Juan and Cole’s names on a wall.
It said, “Selena + Juan” and “Selena Belongs w/ Cole Sprouse 4-Ever!!!” In addition to the video, Gomez wrote the caption, “Apparently, my heart was very conflicted between Juan and Cole Sprouse when I was 11.” A short moment later, Cole responded to Gomez’s post by saying, “always Juan-upping me.”
Since then, no other information about the pair’s relationship has been released.